KING AUTOMATIC - IN THE BLUE CORNER

TRACKLIST

1. KING TAKES QUEEN2. IN THE BLUE CORNER3. STAIRCASE SERENADE4. LE REDRESSEUR DE TORTS5. MOODSWINGS6. FAKE SKINHEADS IN LOVE7. THINGS ARE WHAT THEY ARE BUT NEVER WHAT THEY SEEM8. LET'S HAVE A PARTY9. VAGUE INFORMATION10. THERE IS NO TRUTH IN THE NIGHT11. THERE GOES GEORGE12. DOCTOR JEKYLL AND SISTER HYDE13. MIGHTY SWORD OF TRUTH14. BLACK MAGIC

ENGLISHTHE FUTURE OF ROCK 'N ' ROLL? King Automatic's In The Blue CornerAs we are now nearing the 2nd decade of the 21st century, it is time to ask an essential question: Where lies the future of Rock 'n' Roll?Will we recycle old ideas ad infinitum - 3 chords boom chica boom, mimick the past and kneel and pray at the alter of Jerry Lee Lewis, The Ramones and the Cramps or will we introduce new musical concepts into Rock 'n' Roll, embrace the future and venture into unsafe yet exciting waters?Will we limit ourselves by sticking to the musical traditions of the Western hemisphere only or will we seek inspiration across the four corners of our globe and make truly trans-global Rock 'n' Roll?It is time to expand the horizon and to seek out new territories - it is time to evolve and if that evolutionary process takes the shape of King Automatic...well that's all the better. This Gentleman finds inspiration in Jamaican Rocksteady, Rhythm 'n'Blues, Bebop,Tthe Stranglers, The Doors, Virgin Prunes, David Bowie, Tom Waits, and the tribal drumming of West Africa to mention only a few of the ingredients of a truly exotic musical cocktail. In addition to the musical diversity to be found in his music, King Automatic has also freed Rock 'n' Roll from the lyrical cliché of: "I picked up my baby in a '59 De Ville, we tore through the city seeking cheap thrills". There is actually real songwriting at play here which adds a welcomed layer to the music we all like to drink, dance and make babies to.Starting out in the mid-1990's as the drummer of the legendary French Punk band Thundercrack, King Automatic took a radical turn at the beginning of the new Millenium and introduced a new dimension to the stagnant sound of one-mand bands.He began to sample and loop organ, guitar, harp and percussion sounds live on stage to create a truly sonic soundscape – close your eyes and you will swear you are listening to an orchestra.With his new album "In The Blue Corner" now appearing on Voodoo Rhythm Records, he has taken his vision to the next level and has created an even more diverse record than his previous two - he has once and for all left behind the shackles and confinements of traditional Rock 'n' Roll and his journey has led him to exciting places - mesadames & messieurs join King Automatic on his unique odyssee and explore the Rock 'n' Roll of the world!

CLEAR SPOT (NL)Starting out in the mid-1990s as the drummer of the legendary French punk band Thundercrack, King Automatic took a radical turn at the beginning of the new Millennium and introduced a new dimension to the stagnant sound of one-man bands. With his new album 'In The Blue Corner' he takes his vision to the next level in order to create a record even more diverse than his previous two releases!

I94BAR (AUS)One-man bands playing garage gloop are more common than beer bellies at a brewery birthday bash, so what's the buzz on French exponent King Automatic that could make you give a shit? It's the songs, stupid. These tunes are the King's best to date and they're delivered with more than enough rough-edged, Gallic charm to convince most that he's fronting a full band. Even allowing for essential studio overdub magic and some well-placed male and female backing vocals, King Automatic moves through his arsenal of guitar, drums, keys, harmonica and voice with the ease of a trained killer.The trick of pulling it off and making it stick is in the feels employed, and King Automatic moves from organ-powered tattered lounge blues-vamp on "Moodswings" to the fuzz-and-piano-propelled garage stomp of "King Takes Queen" with rhythmic feet anchored to the pedals. "Mighty Sword Of Truth" shifts the playing field to syncopated blues-beat, just to mix it up, but this is an album whose tempos either swing or stutter. "Things Are What They Are But Never What They Seem" gets in the pocket like a N'Orleans honky tonk bar band on a four-day bourbon bender, while the off-kilter clatter of "Let's Have a Party" sounds like the same crew in hair-of-the-dog mode."There Is No Truth In The Night" gets a noir treatment with the King putting his vocal down in the gutter. "Fake Skinheads In Love" is scattergun fuzz skronk in the finest Oblivians tradition, while "There Goes George" sounds like Madness lent him their keyboard player. There's no mistaking that rock backbeat, though.English being the language of (most) rock and roll, the King only resorts to his native tongue on one song ("Le Redresseur De Torts") but he could sing the phone book on this one and it'd still be a killer cup of loping back-beat, shaker, harmonica and handclaps to linguistic numb nuts like me. Voodoo Rhythm stuff is sometimes a little hard to track down but fear not; that link in the title will take you to the source so you can order direct. If you're in Australia, Off The Hip's Melbourne store should be your supplier.